By: Diane Benjamin

Yes, that abbreviation for Committee of the Whole is hilarious. The City uses it, so I will too.

Free, free, free! Traffic at the new library is up — imagine that. Offer free meeting space and people flock to it. Spending more than $26 million and raising taxes bought “free” stuff for everyone. Celebrate Socialism 101 — most of the Council certainly did. You can watch the slide presentation yourself starting at 14:00 in the video.

The City is planning events to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year. Officials discussed extending the length of the fireworks show, which would add only a small amount to the cost. They also considered adding a drone light show on July 3, since suppliers are already booked for the 4th.

Holding the event downtown was discussed but likely won’t be possible because drones can’t fly over crowds for safety reasons. Some aldermen expressed concern about the cost. They also talked about having aldermen take turns reading the Declaration of Independence. The discussion begins at 24:50 in the meeting recording.

Bulk waste pickup and the Convenience Center were discussed starting at 44:06. The City finally perfected the twice-a-year bulk pickup, but now they might go back to every other week. The proposal would limit the Citizens Convenience Center to only yard waste and recycling. It would also close for three winter months to free up two employees for snow removal or street cleaning.

The biggest reason for the change is abuse by contractors and landlords who take advantage of free disposal—often dumping truckloads of mattresses or building materials. Pickers won’t have a twice-a-year bounty anymore, but neighborhoods also won’t have those huge piles on the curb twice a year either.

One bucket would be free every other week. A new ordinance will be presented at a future Council meeting.